Railroad-crossing signal



A ril 8, 1924 1,490,015

' F. LAHODA RAILROAD CROS S ING S IGNAL Filed June 22, 1923 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATI'ORNEY WITN E55:

April 8 1924.-

INVENTOR WITNESS:

Patented Apr. 8, 1924.

warren STATES 1,499,015 PATENT creme.)

FRANK LAHODA, or :onlvnuan,sasna'rorrnwan, cannon.

RAILROAD-CROSSIN G SIGNAL.

Application filed June 22, 1923. Serial no. 647,110.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, FRANK LAHODA, a subject of the King of GreatBritain,'residing at Dundurn, in the Province of Saskatchewan andDominion of Canada, have invented new and useful Improvements inBailroad-Crossing Signals,of which the following is. a specification.

This invention relates to signal devices,

19 particularly, those of the mechanically operated type, and has forits object the provision of a novel device designed to be mounted at arailroad crossing or the like for the purpose of warning pedestrians anddrivers of vehicles ofthe. approach of a train, the device thus actingtowarn interested parties and consequently reducing likelihood ofaccident.

An important and more specific object is the provision of a signaldevice of this character which is operated automatically by a memberdepending from the locomotive, the action being consequently positiveand rapid;

An additional object is the provisionof a signal device of thischaracterwhich will be simple and inexpensive in manufacture, easy toinstall,efiicientand durable in service and a generalimprovement in the art.

With the above and other objects and-advantages in'view the inventionconsists in the details of construction to be'hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a planview of a railroad track at a crossing showing mysignal device installed,

Figure 2 is a cross section on the line 2--2 of Figure 1 showing anelevation of the signal member,

Figure 3 is a view taken longitudinally of the track onthe line 3-3 ofFigure 1 and looking toward the signal device.

Figure 4 is a cross section on' the line 4:4: of Figure 1, 7

Figure 5 is a detailed section through the cow catcher of the locomotiveshowing the operating member mounted thereon,

Figure 6 is a detailv section through the spring tension device.

Referring more particularly to the drawings the letter A designates arailroad track and B designates a road crossing the track. It is thiscrossing which my invention is designed to protect.

Mounted upon a suitable base 10, which might be merely a prolongation ofadjacent ties C, is a signal device which is here illustrated ascomprising a bottom plate 11 upon which is secured an upwardly extendingbracket 12. The plate 11 and bracket 12 are provided with bearings for avertical shaft 13 which carries a signal blade 1% bearing the legendStop or any other desired matter. This signal blade is .here shown asbeing circular in shape though it maybe understood that it may be of any"other shape, any desired size and painted any preferred color so as tobe conspicuous and it is also to be notedthat if desired it may containilluminating means for instance an oil lamp or an incandescent bulb suchas is illustrated at 15 in one of the detail views.

Mounted on the track at opposite sidesof the crossing B, and at anydesired distance fromthe crossing are horizontally disposed shafts 16mounted in bearings 17 which may be spiked down onto the ties or whichmay be carried by plates 18 secured to the ties bysome preferred'meansor secured to the undersides of the rails Db Mounted on these shaftsarepulleys 19 and segmental gears 20.

On the lower end of the shaft 13 of the signal is a pulley 20 aboutwhich is trained a cable 21 which isin turn trained about guide rollersor pulleys 22 located inwardly of one rail and adjacent thereto. Afterpassing over the rollers 22,. the cable extends through tubular guidesor housings 22 mounted along the track at both sides of the road. Thecable also passes over guide pulleys 22 and istrained about'the pulleys19. Secured upon the frame of the locomotive at some convenient pointbut preferably beneath the cow catcher is a rack bar 24; so positionedas to engage with the segmental gears 20: when passing thereover.Interposed in the cable are spring devices indicated broadly by thenumeral 25, each of which consists of a frame 26 having slidable thereina] rod 27 carrying a cross head 28 engaged by a spring 29 encircling therod and'coniined between the cross head and one end of the frame. Asthese frames are interposed in the cable they provide resilience toprevent breakage of the cable under engageable with the adjacent railfor limiting the rotation of the pulley to an arc of 90 in eitherdirection.

In the operation it will be seen that when the train approaches eitherside of the crossing, the engagement of the rack bar 2 1 will rotate thepulley 20 a quarter turn. Itv

should also be stated that all the pulleys are of the same size exceptthat the guide rollers 22 may be of any desired size irrespective of theothers. \Vhen the pulley 20 is turned of course the shaft 13 iscorrespondingly turned and the signal blade 14 is moved into a positionparallel with the track so that both sides thereof will be clearlyvisible to pedestrians, drivers of vehicles or others having occasion touse the high way. After passing over the crossing and upon reachmg theoperating mechanism at the other side,

the bar 24 engages the other segmental gear and rotates the other shaft16 whereupon the cable 21 is moved in the other direction and thisserves to return the signal to its initial or inoperative position. v

The spring devices interposed in the cable have a very importantfunction. If they were absent rocking of either gear 20 by passage of atrain would cause it to be left in such low position that it could notbe engaged by a train coming from theother direction. hen either stop onthe cable engages the rail it holds the cable against further movementwhile the spring devices interposed in the cable permit the gears 20 tobe rocked to the full limit of throw. When the train has passed by, thetension of the springs will then restore the gears to normal positionready for reactuation.

From the foregoing description and a study of the drawings 1t Wlll beapparent that I have thus provided a purely mechan ical andautomatically operated signal de-- vice which is easily installed atrailway crossings and other places and which will efficiently performall the functions for which it is intended. Owing to the simplicity andthe fewness of the parts it is apparent that there is little to get outof order beneath the locomotive and engageable with so that the deviceshould have a long life;

WVhile I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of theinvention it is of course to be understood that I reserve the right tomake such changes in the form, construction and arrangement of parts aswill not depart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of thesubjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. A signal device for railroad crossings, comprising a rotatablymounted upright signal member located at the crossing to be protected,transverse shafts located along the track way at opposite sides of thecrossing, pulleys on said shafts, a pulley on said signal member, guiderollers, a cable trained about said pulleys and engaging said guiderollers, one stretch of said cable being crossed to effect simultaneousmovement of both shafts in the opposite directions when one is turned,and means on said shafts 00- operating with means on the locomotivewhereby passage of the train will turn the shafts.

2. A. signal device for railroad crossings, comprising a rotatablymounted upright signal member located at the crossing to be protected,transverse shafts located along the track way at opposite sides of thecrossing, pulleys on said shafts, a pulley on said signal member, guiderollers, a cable trained about said pulleys and engaging saidguiderollers, one stretch of said cable being crossed to effect simultaneousmovement of both shafts in the opposite directions when one is turned,and means on said shafts cooperating with means on the locomotivewhereby passage of the train will turn the shafts, said means consistingof upstanding elements carriedbythe shafts, and a depending protectioncarried by the engine and engageable therewith.

3. A signal device for railroad crossings, comprising a rotatablymounted upright signal n'iember'located at the crossing to be protected,transverse shafts. located along the track way at opposite sides of thecrossing, pulleys on said shafts, a pulley on said signal member, guiderollers, a cable trained about said pulleys and engaging said guiderollers, one stretch of said cable being crossed to effect simultaneousmovement of both shafts in the opposite directions when one is turned,and means on said shafts cooperating with means on the locomotivewhereby passage of the train will turn the shafts, said means consistingof segmental gears on said shafts and a rack bar mounted the segmentalgears wherebyto effect movement thereof.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRANK LAHODA.

